President Rodrigo Duterte’s consultative committee (Con-Com) voted Tuesday to adopt federal-presidential system of government in the Philippines after reviewing the 1987 Constitution.
Among the members of the committee, nine members voted for the federal-presidential system; one voted for the parliamentary system; and eight members voted for the hybrid semi-presidential system during the initial voting.
A run-off vote was then conducted since majority, composed of ten, is required to finalize the decision of the committee.
During the second votation, eleven votes were secured in favor of the federal-presidential system.
Those who voted in favor of the federal-presidential government include Con-com chairman and former chief Justice Reynato Puno, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Antonio Arellano, Virgilio Bautista, Roan Libarios, former Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura, Randolph Parcasio, former Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, Eddie Alih, Ali Balindong, and Laurence Wacnang.
“We are more familiar with that setup therefore we know its strengths and weaknesses, therefore we can make or adopt measures to further strengthen it and remedy its weakness,” Pimentel said.
The United States of America follows the federal-presidential government where the country is headed by the president, the vice president, and the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches.
Alongside these, there are federal states with their own federal local governments.
In December 2016, Duterte released an executive order to “study, conduct consultations, and review” the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, in line with the government’s plan to shift to a federal form of government.
According to Duterte, federal system would help local governments gain more autonomy and power to decide for themselves.
